Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling - Xbox One Review

We're close. To what exactly? To this series reaching the same heights with me that Tales from the Borderlands did. Hands-down that was my favorite Telltale Games title so far, but you know what? Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling shows that the devs really have a handle on mixing some science fiction and humor together.

Something about this just clicks. Of course, I am a big fan of the source material, but each episode has progressively gotten more interesting this season, and if it can continue to do so through its finale, Guardians of the Galaxy may well become of the best seasons Telltale Games has assembled.

In the prior two episodes, flashback sequences were a major part of character reveals as they told us quite a bit about both Peter and Rocket. Once again Peter, who is really the emotional center of this ragtag team, find himself conversing with his 'mother' through another one of these sequences. As I predicted last episode however, there was plenty of room for Gamora to have her own moment of reflection, and while I will not go into details, I will say that I found the exploration of her history every bit as satisfying as I did Rocket's.

In the earlier episodes, a lot of the tension came from the inside and not the outside, and that trend continues here. As I mentioned earlier, Peter finds himself at the center of a most things involving the Guardians, and they have their own backgrounds, priorities and opinions on just about everything. This internal conflict has been played out in the comics and movies over the years, but because the Telltale Games rely so heavily on choices, that drama gets ratcheted up another level or two. Admittedly, it can be just a tad exhausting and as is usually the case in these games, there is seldom a right answer, just the one you think you can most easily live with the consequences of.

However, what often felt like small internal spats of internal strife and moodiness in the first couple of episodes is starting to give way to choices that feel as though they are starting to carry a bit more weight. There were times I felt like Peter was little more than a marriage counselor to his teammates, but the stakes continue to increase as the central artifact, The Eternity Forge, continues to tease everyone with its mysteries.

Some interesting gameplay mechanics were introduced earlier in the season, but this episode did feel a bit more brisk as those somewhat time padding exercises mostly took a backseat to dialog. Thankfully all of it is so well voiced acted and complimented by a great soundtrack, that I really did not miss those elements this time around. I was so focused on where the story was going and what funny and equally maddening conundrum my team was going to put Peter in next, that the end was here entirely too fast. And of course, no mid-season Telltale Games episode would be complete without a pretty massive choice that is no doubt going to have some pretty serious ripples in the last episodes to come.

Look, if you like the Guardians as a comic book or movie property, give this series a go. If you were a fan of the quirky humor found in Tales from the Borderlands, you will no doubt find Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling a pretty comfortable companion as well. We're not quite there yet, but I think when the dust settles Guardians may turn out to be one of - if not the - favorite of my Telltale Games titles.